Thieves steal from charity
in Hailsham

Thieves stole a lawnmower and caused more than £200 worth of damage after breaking into a Hailsham charity’s plant nursery.

Environment Hailsham, which has taken over the role of Hailsham in Bloom, has a polytunnel in Orchard Park off Grovelands Road, where it grows the town’s plants and flowers which are needed for displays.

But sometime over the weekend, between the evening of Saturday (March 15) and the early hours of Sunday (March 16) thieves slashed the covering of the polytunnel and stole the lawnmower.

It means the charity will now have to raise the money to replace the lawnmower and fix the polytunnel.

Richard Grocock, chairman of Environment Hailsham, said: “I would like to say to them for their act of vandalism we will now have to raise extra monies to buy a new lawnmower cost £600 and a further £250 to replace the covering on the polytunnel,

“I hope they are conscious of what they have done.

“Environment Hailsham is a community charity that has taken over the role of Hailsham in Bloom, we seek sponsorship and raise funds for the floral displays in and around the town.

“We have a polytunnel in which we grow and raise the plants that are needed for the displays.

“Some person or persons slashed the covering on the polytunnel and stole our lawnmower.

“We have done temporary repairs on the covering as we have plants inside so need to keep the temperature up.”

If anybody would like to contact Richard with information regarding the incident or to make a donation to the charity to help buy a new lawnmower call 01323842931 or leave a message.

Sharon Cottingham who works with Environment Hailsham said vandals had also recently entered the sensory garden in Hailsham and sprayed graffiti.

She said: “It’s so sad that people do this. Whoever it was and for whatever reason, if they even had one, it’s not nice for anyone.

“We plant flowers here to make people happy.”

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said it was now appealing for witnesses to the theft.

She said: “Police were called at 9am on Sunday (March 16) to a report a lawnmower had been stolen.

“The mower was taken between 6.30pm on Saturday and 8.30am on Sunday.”

Anyone who has any information or saw anything suspicious is asked to contact police on its non-emergency number 101 or email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk quoting serial 362 of 16/3.